Talking Google at the 2019 Faculty Technology Institute

While the 2019 Faculty Technology Institute went a bit lighter on Google topics, we still snuck in a
few classes covering some of our most frequently asked questions. Below is a general summary of Google at the 2019 FTI, as well as links to some helpful and related resources.

We regularly offer What's New with G Suite? as a way of keeping on top of the ongoing and evolving G Suite platform. The session opened with a general review of what it means to be a G Suite campus and where to find more information about updates and outages. This was followed by an overview of features that have appeared over the past year, including smart compose, scheduled send, and the end of Google Drive Desktop (hello Drive File Stream!).

An upcoming change to G Suite that warranted it's own (mini)session was Google's answer to Slack, the new-and-improved Hangouts Chat. Offering an open, collaborative, and persistent communication option for teams, Hangouts Chat will eventually replace the current iteration of Google Hangouts. For more information, check out our previous blog post, which covers the changes and improvements in more detail.

Does an empty inbox at the end of the day sound like a dream come true? It doesn't have to be. In our Zero Inbox in Gmail session, we covered a few general tips on how you can get there. These included utilizing a proper to-do list application, leveraging Gmail's robust search function, and using filters and labels to auto-sort incoming mail.

With unlimited storage available in Google Drive, it's easy to let organization fall to the wayside. Similar to Zero Inbox, the Organize Your Google Drive class dug into many of the existing tools and features in Google Drive to help maximize organization and productivity. With so many options available, we've found that rather than merely telling users how to use it, it is often more helpful to help users understand what they can do and where to go for more information.

As always, users in the L&C community can always reach out to us with questions regarding G Suite features and functionality. Send your inquiries to itservice[at]lclark.edu and we will get back to you as soon as we can.